Action on fish discards

Mr Lochhead was in Aalborg, Denmark, last week to address the Danfish International Conference.

Scotland has been working closely with Denmark, Germany and the UK to explore what additional benefits can be delivered for fleets and the environment by expanding the use of CCTV.

Mr Lochhead is now seeking additional catch quota opportunities for vessels using CCTV next year. He said that developing more intuitive means of counting effort as actual fishing time, not just time away from port, is also a priority. He said this is 'potentially a major step' in raising awareness of the benefits of CCTV as a management tool.

The Fisheries Secretary said that a Scottish CCTV pilot launched in August involving seven vessels is already producing 'hugely impressive' results. This type of initiative rewards management measures, whilst at the same time cutting discards.

Mr Lochhead said:

"I am determined to help find a way forward that will see our fishermen not only survive the current storm caused by economic pressures and European restrictions, but emerge even stronger.

"We cannot afford to ignore problems such as discards and wait until 2013 for the broken Common Fisheries Policy to be overhauled. Decisive action is needed now to help secure a more sustainable and profitable future. We will do whatever it takes to ensure our fishermen are rewarded with catch quotas and effort that is actual fishing time, not simply time spent at sea.

"Scotland and Denmark share an appetite for change and it's clear that CCTV has the potential to be an extremely powerful tool. It can deliver the confidence and evidence to managers and consumers alike that our fishermen are responsible and are not actively wasting valuable resources.

"The initial results of our trial are very promising. We hope that the Danish and Scottish experience of CCTV will provide enough justification to allow a trial of a catch quota system next year."